In a world of materialism, here is fresh perspective on logical love and smart choices. Make money, keep money, love always.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Hello, welcome to Frugal Fridays!

Hello,

These will be a weekly blog post about saving money on a main item for your wedding, such as decorations. Visit my page every Friday for a new tip or creative outlook on traditional wedding styles that could mean saving big bucks.

Despite the facts that weddings are expensive, and I myself choose not to have one, I still find myself dreaming about "the dress." Not something as big and crazy as the cliche, but hey, a girl can dream.

Photo Credit: Google

Girls are raised to be princesses, and it's impossible to escape this sort of ideology of the big fluffy dress. Personally, my favorite princess growing up was Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid." It would not be any surprise to you, that this practically pintrest Ariel wedding caused me to squeal with girlish delight at every minuscule (though extremely expensive) detail.

I also dreamed of being a fashion designer before I chose to pursue journalism, but considering that I vary between jeans and dresses every day it would not be a well suited career... pun intended. So as you can see, my dreams revolve around the dress. The very, very expensive dress. To be specific it costs a whopping total of

Which logically could pay for...

Yikes.

Even if walking to the court house, most people wouldn't want to wear jeans on their wedding day. Instead of being sad about the high cost or the impracticality of a huge ball gown, maybe instead consider a cheaper, more common cents (yes, money that you'll have after payday) options

Even options for your wedding party!

1.) Goodwill/Thrift Shopping

2.) Keep it casual

3.) Make your own (this would be a good time to call Grandma and open Pinterest)

4.) Mom's dress

5.) Accessorize

Some other helpful tips are to...

Budget, budget, budget. Find a number, cap it, and do not blow the top. Even making your own dress will be expensive if you are capable of some basic sewing skills. Watch the sales, and don't forget to price compare and shop online.

Check with your wedding party (if you have one).

See if they can pay for their own dress, see if there is a color from last season that is cheaper than a newer, or more expensive color. If going with the casual theme, check end of season sales for dresses at places like Forever 21. Your wedding party, if they really care about you, will probably understand if you cannot afford to dress 6-12 people on your budget. Don't hesitate asking them to carry their own.

Don't forget the guys, as it may come at no surprise, the guy's wardrobe tends to be cheaper. But maybe instead of perfectly matching tuxes from the overpriced shops, they might have their own suits. Again, the casual theme causes wardrobe to become much cheaper. Maybe dark jeans or khakis. Colored shorts and button up shirts are a great option for spring and summer. Stalk those clearance racks.

If the dress isn't your priority spending point, great! Let me know what is on my poll so I can include it in my next Frugal Friday post.